Build an AI Photo Restorer App in Next.js with Replicate

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Building AI Web Applications
3. Architecture of the Project
4. Frontend Development
   1. Uploader Library
   2. Original Photo and Restored Photo
   3. Generate Photo Function
5. Backend Development
   1. Generate.ts File
   2. Interacting with AI API
   3. Using Replicate
6. Conclusion

Building AI Web Applications: A Step-by-Step Guide

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the hottest topics in the tech industry right now. As a frontend developer, You may be Wondering how to get started with building AI web applications. In this article, we will Show you how to build your own AI web app, step-by-step.

Architecture of the Project

Before we dive into the development process, let's take a look at the architecture of the project. The project has four main components: the frontend, the backend, an external storage service, and an AI API. The frontend is built using Next.js and is primarily composed of an upload component and some image components. The backend is also built using Next.js and is a serverless function. The external services include a storage service and an AI API.

When a user uploads an image, it is first stored in the external storage service, which responds with an image URL. This image URL is then sent to the backend, which passes it to the AI API to get enhanced. After doing some polling, the restored image is sent back to the frontend to display to the user.

Frontend Development

Let's start with the frontend development. The frontend is built using React and uses the uploader library to handle image uploads. When someone uploads an image, the onUpdate function fires, which sets the original photo and calls the generatePhoto function. The generatePhoto function calls the generate API route, which is our backend, and passes the imageURL. When the new image is returned, it sets the restoredImage state with it.

Backend Development

Moving on to the backend development, we have the generate.ts file, which is an API route inside of our API folder in our Next.js application. This is where we Interact with our AI API. We get the imageURL that we passed in from the frontend and call our AI API that's hosted on Replicate. We need an initial API request to essentially tell Replicate to start the image restoration process. After we send this initial request, we get back an endpointURL that we can then pull every Second to see if the image has finished processing. If the status is succeeded, we get back the restored image and return it back to our frontend. If the status is not succeeded, we wait a second and Continue to loop.

Conclusion

In conclusion, building AI web applications may seem daunting at first, but with the right tools and knowledge, it can be a fun and rewarding experience. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can build your own AI web app and join the growing community of AI developers.

Highlights

• AI is one of the hottest topics in the tech industry right now.
• The project has four main components: the frontend, the backend, an external storage service, and an AI API.
• The frontend is built using React and uses the uploader library to handle image uploads.
• The backend is built using Next.js and is a serverless function.
• We interact with our AI API using an API route inside of our API folder in our Next.js application.
• Replicate is a great tool that we can use to interact with any AI API on their platform.

FAQ

Q: What is AI? A: AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. It is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems.

Q: What is Next.js? A: Next.js is a React-based web development framework that allows for server-side rendering and other advanced features.

Q: What is a serverless function? A: A serverless function is a piece of code that runs in response to an event and is hosted by a third-party service. It allows developers to build and run applications without having to manage servers.

Q: What is Replicate? A: Replicate is a platform that allows developers to easily build and deploy AI models. It provides a simple API for interacting with AI models and handles all the infrastructure and scaling for you.